From: Total Landscape Care
For the first time in a while, beekeepers have some encouraging news about bee populations, but it is still a far cry from victory in researchers’ eyes.
The preliminary results of the annual nationwide survey conducted by the Bee Informed Partnership shows that from April 2016 to April 2017 beekeepers lost 33 percent of their honeybee colonies.
Leave a Comment May 31, 2017
From: Slashdot
Posted by BeauHD from the spoonful-of-honey dept.
Leave a Comment May 30, 2017
From: AgInfoNet
by KayDee Gilkey, click here for bio
Pottorff: “The more that we do this, the better our data becomes. It gives us a better window into what is going on with managed bees. We are seeing a number Varroa mite —which is a parasitic mite — that is high in both our commercial and hobby apiary. As well as a few other diseases, but it is the Varroa mite that we think is the most important. That is also true nationally as well. So this parasitic mite feeds on the blood or the hemolyph of the bees and it also transmits or spreads virus diseases to the bees too.”
Leave a Comment May 25, 2017
From: Guelph Now
Grooming Gene Protects Bees from Deadly varroa mite Mites Through Constant Scratching
A gene linked to grooming could be the key to saving honeybees from the deadly varroa mite, according to new University of Guelph research.
Prof. Ernesto Guzman discovered that honeybees with higher expression of a gene linked to vigorous scratching are better at removing mites from their bodies, and more resistant to the bugs, than bees with lower gene expression.
Leave a Comment May 24, 2017
From: Surry County Beekeepers Association | A chapter of the NC State Beekeepers Association
June 12, 2017
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Surry County Cooperative Extension Office [ map ]
State Apiary Inspector Greg Fariss will be back to talk about the biology of the varroa mite (Varroa destructor). The varroa mite is currently the biggest threat to our honey bees and in order to effectively manage them in the bee yard, we need to understand about their biology and the life cycle of the female varroa in particular. Please join us for this excellent presentation.
Leave a Comment May 24, 2017
From: Daniel Dalton, MEP for the West Midlands
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Now, in a case study of how the EU really works, the EU is involved and is threatening to ban these pesticides. The story started several years ago in France, when the government there, keen to keep the green support to prop up the government, agreed to the green demand to ban three neonicotinoids, citing several arguments (not backed up by scientific evidence) that they affect bee populations.
Leave a Comment May 23, 2017
From: Colorado Department of Agriculture via The Fence Post
BROOMFIELD, Colo. — Bee pollinators play a crucial role in natural and agricultural ecosystems and contribute over $200 billion in revenue from vegetable, fruit and nut production in the United States. To gain a better understanding of current honey bee health in Colorado, the Colorado Department of Agriculture has taken part in the National Honey Bee Health Survey for the last three years.
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Leave a Comment May 22, 2017
From: Valley News
Concord Monitor
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The exact reason why the hives were lost is unknown. Of the 239 responses received on why hives died, almost 45 percent of beekeepers reported they didn’t know what caused their hives to die. The next-highest cause was varroa mites, at almost 30 percent, and starvation at around 17 percent. “Other” reasons included weakness and mice. The survey notes many of the responses listed multiple reasons for hive loss.
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Leave a Comment May 19, 2017
From: Tennessee Tech/Proceedings of Student Research and Creative Inquiry Day
This one best undergraduate poster in Agriculture.
Leave a Comment May 18, 2017
Editor’s Note: Translate from the French original via Microsoft Translator.
From: Clicanoo.re
On Thursday, may 4, the bee surveillance network detected the first case of presence of the varroa parasitic mite in honeybees, in an Apiary located Saint‑Denis. A shipment in metropolis for confirmation has been done as of Friday, may 5. The national reference laboratory (ANSES – Sofia Antipolis) confirmed the identification of the varroa Tuesday, May 9.
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Leave a Comment May 17, 2017
